Needle guard for sewing machines



Dec. 12, 1933. c CIRAVOLQ 1,939,620

NEEDLE GUARD FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Jan. 27, 1931 INVENTOR Patented Dec. 12, 1933 PATE T" OFFICE 1,939,620 I NEEDLE GUARD FOR sEWING. MACHINES Charles Ciravolo, Brooklyn, N. Y., assigno'rv to Columbia Needle Guard Corporation, acorporation of New York Application January 27, 1931.

Serial No. 511,492

9 Claims. (01. 112-261 This invention relates to needle guard attachments for sewing machines to prevent the fingers of the operator from either accidentally or intentionally getting into the path of reciprocation of the needle when the machine is running.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a needle guard of very simple and inexpensive construction and which can be readily attached to any sewing machine of standard 10 type.

Another object is tov provide a needle guard of such compactness of construction and arrangement of parts that, while preventing the operator from getting his fingers into the path 150i the reciprocating needle, it cannot interfere with the operation of the machine or obstruct the view of the operator.

Another object is to provide a needle guard which can be raised and maintained out of operative position only when the machine is not in operation and which is automatically returned to protective position when the machine is started.

, With these and other objects in view, the invention resides in the combination and arrangements of parts described in the following specification and later claimed.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to theexact details herein disclosed, still for the purpose of showing a preferred embodiment thereof, reference is had to the accompanying drawing in which like numerals designate like parts in the separate views, and in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary, side elevational view of the head of a sewing machine with presser foot down and the needle guard in position.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a view the same as Figure 1,. but with the presser foot raised. 7

Figure4 is a perspective view of the device with the guard member in its lowermost position.

Figure 5 is a front elevational view of the device with the guard member in raised position.

Figure 6 is a perspective view, with partsbroken away, of one of the elements.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, in detail, I show portions of a conventional sewing machine including a throat plate 33, head 34, presser foot bar 35, a detachable presser foot 36 held by a screw 3'7, a needle bar 38 and a needle My improved needle guard, is relatively small as compared to the immediate parts of the machine to which it is attached and comprises a body portion 43 having a bracket 44. The bracket 44 is provided with a bore 454a stop pin 46, a set screw 47 and a depending angular arm 48.

Wound around the'horizontal angle 49 of the arm 48 is a coil spring. 50. The end 51 of the springengages the depending portion of arm 48 as shown at 52. The opposite end 53 of the coil spring terminates in a relatively long portion at right angle to the body portion of said spring 50. The bodyportion of my device consists of a rectangular member 56 having a channel 57 and guide members 58 and 59. Slidably positioned within the channel 57 of the member 56 is a slide bar 60 having a cross head 61 at its upper end. Integrally formed with the slide bar 60 is a lug 62. v The lug 62 has a neck portion 63 which is integral with, and supports the needle guard member 64. The needle guard member 64 consists of two depending wings 65 and 66 each describing, in cross section beneath the neck portion 63, an arc of a circle. The front of the guard member 64 is open for its entire length. The back portion of said guard member is open up to itsconnection with the neck 63. The upper end of the lug 62 forms a seat for the end 53 of the spring 50. I prefer'to use a needle bar 38 having a reduced diameter as shown at 70 and provided with a chuck '71 for securely holding the needle in stead of the conventional thumb screw. Thus, I have found it possible to reduce. the outside diameter of the guard to the corresponding dimensionsof the presser bar 35 and foot 36 and thereby avoid an additional obstruction of the as, g

The bracket is then positioned on the presser bar 35 by means of the stop pin 46 and the set screw i7. When the presser is raised the stop pin just strikes the underside of the machine head and when the presser bar is down it assumes the position shown in Figure 1.

The normal or operative position of the needle guard is shown in Figures 1 and 2. It is to be noted that the action of the spring 50 on the lug 62 urges the slide 60 together with the guard member 64 to their lowermost positions. In this position, the guard member surrounds and protests the point of the needle 39. The guard member may be raised in one of two ways. One, as indicated in Figure 3, is to raise the presser foot bar 35 to which the needle guard is detachably secured. When raised in this way, the guard ever, since in actual practice, the operator must. ,6"

member still protects the needle point. The other way, which is shown in Figure 5, is to raise the guard member against the force of the spring 50. The end 53 of the spring pressing against the side of the lug 62 maintains the guard member in its raised position, thus exposing the point of the needle. g

When the guard member 64 is in the raised position shown in Figure 5, there are at least three ways in which it may be brought back into normal or needle protecting position. One way,.

obviously, is to force the guardmember down manually against the spring 50 which is pressing against the side of the lug 62.: Anotherway is' to give the machine at least one turn. Since the diameter of the needle bar 38 is greater than the open space between the wings 65 and 66 of the guard member 64, the lower end 'of the needle bar 38 on contacting the top of the guard member forces it down to its lowermostposition. The third way is to raise the presser foot bar 35 which action brings the cross-head-Gl againstth un-- derside of the machine headj-The force of this contact is sufiicient to cause'thespring' 50 to release the lug62, thus allowing the guard member to drop to its lowermostposition.

If the guard member is lowered by 'giving'the machine one turn as by starting the machine,- the needle point will obviously descend below the needle guard before the needlebar strikes and lowers the guard member. Hence, the needle guard on the first reciprocation of the needle would not protect the operator's fingers. Howmeans communicating with said angular arm' and said lug for retaining said slide bar in its different positions. H

2. The combination with a sewing machine presser bar having a presse'rfoot, of 'a needle guard comprising a bracket raeasamyse uream said presser bar and a slide supporting frame member carried bysa id bracket, 'a slide member slidably positioned within said slide supporting frame, said slide member'beingprovided with a lug having wing portions projecting into the'path' of the reciprocation of the needle bar.

3. The combination 'with'a sewing machine presser bar and presser foot, of a needle guard comprising a frame having a slide member positioned therein, said slide member having a lug, integral therewith, terminating in depending guard wings within the path of the reciprocation of the needle bar, and a bracket having a regulating' stop pin and means for securing said bracket to said presser bar.

4. The combination with a sewing machine presser bar and presser foot, of a needle guard comprising a frame, a slide carried by said frame, said slide having a lug, intermediate its ends, terminating in depending wing portions, and a bracket having an angular depending arm supportinga'spring member, said spring being in communication with said lug as described.

5. The combination with a sewing machine having a presser bar and foot, and needle bar andneedl'e, of a needle guard comprising a frame, having a slide member slidably disposed within said frame, said slide member being provided with a lug having depending wing portions within the path of reciprocation of the needle bar, said needle bar havingan' enlargedportion and a reduced portion provided with a chuck for securing said needle therein, as described.

6. As an article of manufacture, a needle guard comprising a member having a vertical channel, a rod or bar mounted in saidchannel for vertical movement, a spring member for normally urging said rod or bar to its lowermost position main channel and a pair of lateral guard wings inte-' gral with the lower portion ofsaid'rodorbar.

7. In combination with the presser bar and needle bar of a sewing machine, a needle guard detachably secured to the presser bar and provided with a pair of lateral guard wings which are mounted for vertical movement, said guard wings being in the path of reciprocationof the needle bar so as to beurged to their lowermost position when the needle bar is being reciprocated.

8. In combination with the presser bar and needle'of a sewing machine, a needle guard detachably secured to the'prejss'er bar andprovided with a pair of lateral guard wings for the' needlasaid lateral guard'wings being mounted for vertical movement, and' meansactuated bythe raising of the presser bar for'urging the' guard wings to their lowermost position;

QIIncombination with the presser bar and needleof a sewing machine," aneedleguard 'de-' CHARLES CIRLAVOLO] 

